Culvert



W. j. TURNER.

cuLvERT. APPLICATION FILED OCT. T4, |920.

imma.

Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. l. TURNER.I

CULVERT.

ma Patented Jan. M1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WED STATES ENT cruce.

WILLIAM J. TURNER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

CUL'VERT.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan.. i0, 1922.

Application filed October 14, 1920. Serial No. 416,934.

vKansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of issouri,l have invented a certain new and useful Culvert, of'which the following is a specification.

This invention is a culvert and the object of the invention is to provide for the building of a Wooden culvert of novel, rigid and durable construction in an economical and etlicient manner. The culvert oi the present invention is of a laminated structure built of boards which preferably have been pre#l viously treated with creosote for the purpose of preserving the wood against decay.

A further object of the invention is to build a culvert of the character specified in sectional units, whereby it may be shipped and transported more eiiiciently and economically, and set up without the necessity of employing highly skilled labor.

Features of the invention, other than those specified, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunctionl with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate different practical embodiments of the present invention, but the constructions therein shown are to be considered as illustrative,

only, and not as defining thelimits of the' invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective-view of culvert construction embodying the present invention, showing the manner of building the same of superimposed laminations of wood.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of culvert construction showing diii'erent plies thereof cut away to better illustrate the construction.

Figure 3 is a transverse section through the inished culvert.

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which different units of the same section interit with one another and in which different sections cooperate with one another; and,

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of the culvert, built after the manner disclosed in Figure 4.

lVhile the culvert of the present invention may be built in a continuous manner for the desired length at the point of its installation, I preferably build the same in unit sections at some convenient point for transportation and ship such sections in knock-down form.

lIn either event, the lumber is irst creosoted, to render it more durable and lasting and this lumber may be, for the present purposes, of low grades ot short lengths ordinarily rejected in the building trades.

In the building of a knock-down culvert of this invention, the sections or lengths 'which are to make up the culvert are composed of units. That is to say, each of the four sides of each section constitutes a unit which is separately fabricated and is so constructed that it may be subsequently' iitted together with three other units to form a section, and the section. subsequently fitted together to form the complete culvert.

j In Figure 4: of the drawings, the method of constructing these unit sections'is clearly shown. The Iirst step in building a section is to build four units, which are, in the main, substantially identical. Each unit embodies a plurality of plies or laminations of lumber, which plies are designated A, B and C. The innermost ply A is `t'ormed of boards laid 1n diagonal relation.- The second ply B is formed of boards laid transversely of the unit and the ply C is -formed of boards laid diagonally,- but in opposite diagonal relation to the boards ofthe ply A, so that the boards of all-three plies extend 'in angular relation to the boards of the other plies and break joints with the boards of such other plies. Several plies are superimposed upon one another, and are nailed or securedtogether to form the unit.

In order. that these units may be interfitted to form a section and the sections interitted to form the culvert, each unit is so built that the linner ply A is of less width than the intermediate ply B, while the intermediate ply Bis of less width' than the outer ply C, thus producing stepped edges on the unit, which steps are of a height substantially equal to the laminations. With this construction, two units may be brought together in edge to edge relation and at right .angles to one another in such manner that the steps will interiit and cause a step ed joint at the four corners of the section. These four units may be secured together on the job by means of cleats D, which 'eX- tend transversely ot each unit and intermediate the ends thereof. Each cleat is firmly secured to its respective unit and the cleats of adjacent units may be secured together by passing bolts d, through half lapped joints. after the manner shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Fach assembled section is adapted to interfit with an adjacent section by the forming of the opposite ends of each unit male and female. This is accomplished by stepping the plies A, 'B and C at their ends in `the same manner as they are stepped at their edges, as clearly shown in Figure 4.

One end of each unit is made male, while*` the other end is made female, so that when assembled sections are brought together, they will interfit with one another as shown in Figure 5 and form a stepped joint. The adjacent sections maybe secured together by means of cleats D and D2 constructed the same as the cleats D with half lapped joints atthfeir ends and each of which'is secured to one end of each unit. Each unit. adapted to form the vertical sides of the culvert, is provided with a cleat D at its female end, while each of the units adapted to form the horizontal top and bottom of the culvert is provided with a cleat D2 at its male end. Vhen consecutive sections are brought together, t-he cleats D and D2 will cooperate lwith half lapped joints and may male ends of the top and bottom units, so

that when bolted together in the manner described, the consecutive sections will be firmly associated with one another.

The culvert made and assembled in the manner described may be manufactured economically, shipped economically and set up rapidly by unskilled labor and the resulting culvert will be ofa strong, practically water-tight construction.

In practice, it h'as been found that a culvert constructed as described of three plies or laminations,.will give entire satisfaction, although it is to be understood that, if desired, additional plies may be added without departing from the spirit of this invention. Moreover, culverts may be built as described on thev ground where they are intended to be placed in a continuous construction and without any transverse breaks or joints in the body of the culvert.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to se' cure by Letters Patent is:

1. A culvert embodying a plurality of sections, each of which is built of four units and each unit embodying at least three plies of lumber, each ply being formed of boards 3. A culvert embodying a plurality of.

sections adapted to be assembled to form a complete culvert and each section of which is formed of a plurality of units adapted to be assembled to form the section, each of which units is formed of at least three plies of creosoted lumber, each ply being formed of boards positioned in angular relation to vthe boards of each adjacent ply, whereby a water tight culvert' is produced which em-v bodies a truss formation in all directions.

4. A culvert embodying a plurality of units adapted to interfit with one another to form a section, a plurality of which'. sections are adapted to be interitted to form a complete culvert, each unit being coinposed of a plurality of plies of lumber, and the boards of each ply being positioned in angular relation tothe boards of the adjacent ply, means for securinga plurality of such units' together to form a section, and means for securing a plurality of sections together. v

5. A unit for culvert` construction embodying a plurality of plies of creosoted lumber, each of which plies is formed of boards extending in angular relation to the boards of each adjacent ply, each unit being stepped along both its longitudinal edges and at bothof its ends Withl one end provided with a male step and the other end provided with a female step, whereby a plurality ofsuch units mav be assembled in intertting relation'to form culvert sections and the male and female stepped ends of adjacent sections interfitted to form Aa continuous culvert of the desired length.

6. A unit for culvert construction embodying a plurality of plies of lumber, each of which plies is formed of boards extendingin angular relation to the boards of each adjacent ply each unit being stepped along both its longitudinal edges and at both of its ends with one end provided with a male step and the other end provided with a female step, whereby a plurality of such units may be assembled in"1nterfitting relation to form culvert sections and the male and female stepped ends of adjacent sections interfitted to form a continuous culvert of the desired length.

7. A culvert having walls .embodying at least three plies of lumber, each ply being formed of boards positioned in angular relation to the boards of each adjacent ply,

whereby a culvert is formed embodying a of lumber, with the boards of at least one ply truss formation in all directions so that sagging ofthe culvert is precluded.

8. A culvert built of a plurality of plies extending across the culvert in a diagonal direction and the boards of another ply extending across the culvert in an opposed diagonal relation, whereby a culvert is formed having a truss-like Structure.

9. A culvert embodying a rectangular box-V box-like structure, the walls of which lare composed of a plurality of plies of creosoted lumber, certain boards of which extend directly. across the walls of the culvert, certain other boards of 'which extend across the walls of the culvert in a diagonal direction, and certain other boards of which extend 'across the culvert in an opposed4 diagonal direction, whereby all four walls of the culvert are of truss formation, the joints of eachply being positioned to break joints with the joints of the other plies, so as to produce a substantially water tight culvert.

11. A unit for culvert construction embodying a plurality of plies, each of which is formed of boards extending in angular relation to the boards of each adjacent ply, each unit being stepped along its longitudinal edges,whereby a plurality of such units may be assembled in interfltting relation along their longitudinal edges to form a culvert. y v

12. A unit for culvert construction em bodying a plurality of plies'of lumber, each of which plies is formed of boardsextendin in angular relation to the boards of each adJacent ply, with the plies ofconsecutively greater width so that the unit is provided along its lateral edges with steps, whereby a plurality of such units may be assembled with the stepped edges in inter'tting relation to form a culvert.

13. A culvert section one end of which is externally stepped down to formy a malestepped end and the other end of which is interiorly stepped down to form a female stepped end, complementary to the male stepped end, whereby a plurality of such sections' may be assembledv with male and female stepped ends intertted t0 forma continuous culvert of desired length.

14:. A culvert built of three plies of lum-A ber with the boards forming the intermediate ply extending at right angles tofthe longitudinal axis of the culvert, and the boards of the inner and outer plies extending in angular relation to the intermediate ply and in angular relation to each other. v

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this speciicati'on.

' WILLIAM J. TNER, 

